Villagers feel lost in Arun’s ‘dash for housing’

Laura Cartledge

‘People feel down, frightened and angry’, that was the update following a residents’ meeting in Shripney.

The event, prompted by a planning application (BE/63/17/OUT) for 21 dwellings in the village and concerns about the road safety in the area, saw locals voice their fears on Thursday, including being ‘invisible’ to decision makers.

Organiser Gill Yeates said: “We are being completely and utterly ignored. The village seems to be completely lost now and there doesn’t seem to be any oversight in this dash for housing.”

Road safety – due to a reported increase in traffic as a result of the new relief routes – speeding and flooding issues topped the list of concerns for the group.

Mrs Yeates said: “People are saying how can this be right, we are in a flood area and the proposed road comes out in to the deepest part.

“As always people are very concerned and we can’t really believe something as obvious as this is being recommended.

“People are very jaded by the whole process, it just feels endless.

“How much more can individual people do? How much more can we be expected to do? And why is no-one looking out for us, we seem to be invisible. People are frightened we won’t be heard.”

Sustainability was also questioned, headlined by the access links, she said: “The bus service is only six days and finishes early, there are no footpaths. It is not just about building houses, but a community.

“Since the localism act it seems to be worse. We were told we would have an input but things are no better.”

When faced with the concerns, a spokesman for Arun District Council advised residents have until June 29 to provide written comments on the application.

They said consultation had been undertaken with groups including highways, the county council and environmental health and that all responses would be reviewed prior to making a decision.